Caraval

Monday, 13 February 2017

Caraval has been one of my most anticipated reads of 2017, and let me tell you this: the lengthy wait was one-hundred percent worth it. I ended up reading the whole book in a day - I really couldn't put it down! - and every page of it was just as good as I thought it would be.

Caraval tells the magical and intriguing tale of Donatella and Scarlett Dragna, two sisters fleeing from the hands of an abusive father and an arranged marriage in the hopes of finding a new adventure at Caraval, an island where time breeds magic, games are played, rules exist and wishes come true.

After receiving an invitation from Legend, the Master of Caraval, Scarlett and Tella are whisked away to the show by a mysterious sailor. Upon arrival, things soon take a turn for the worst and Donatella is kidnapped by Legend. The twist? This years game revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her will win the prize of one wish.

Everything that happens during Caraval is simply a performance, an elaborate trick of the eye - but Scarlett soon finds herself believing in the love, magic and heartbreak that comes along with playing the game. Whether Caraval is real or not, she has just five days to find her sister... and if she doesn't succeed, dangerous consequences will follow.

Favourite quote:

'Dreams that come true can be beautiful, but they can also turn into nightmares when people won't wake up.'

Favourite character:

As much as I adored Julian, my favourite character was definitely Scarlett Dragna. As a protagonist, I felt like she was extremely relatable in terms of doing anything she possibly could to make sure that the ones she loved were kept safe. That's one of the many traits that I loved about her - her loyalty and fierce protectiveness continued to shine through even when she was faced with the most impossible of scenarios.

3 words to describe the book:

Dark, magical, enchanting.

Rating:

✮✮✮✮✮/✮✮✮✮✮

Caraval is such an interesting book - I've never, ever come across anything like it. It's a lot darker than I thought it would be, and more bizarre, too, but everything about it was so interesting (and I can't wait for the sequel!). As a reader, I felt like the descriptions of the world Stephanie created were so vivid that I felt like I was one of the players in Caraval myself - like Scarlett, I had no idea who and who not to trust. It's definitely a book to add to your list of things to read.

I know you shouldn't judge a book by its cover but the cover of this is just so beautiful, I immediately want to pick it up and read it! I love the way you've structured your review too, especially with the 'three words to describe this book', I think that's fab! Thanks so much for sharing!

I know, I can't stop staring at it, the photo really doesn't do it justice though! The other half of the book is white, and there's another picture (in gold foil) inside the cover when you slip off the jacket. <3